Chapter 206: Threats only work when your men weren’t just viciously slaughtered
What Harold was suggesting could best be considered controversial, to say the least because of the power structures of most sects, especially martial ones.
Despite having elders and elites and everything in-between, the sect master tended to be the end all be all authority that controlled essentially every aspect of the sect, or at least had the most say in how to guide it.
As a result, they tended to have access to all the best, secret and dangerous stuff…correction, they had access to everybody else’s stuff and determined how it got distributed and managed. Harold was essentially inviting the three other leaders of Stone Claw into becoming his vassals, in exchange for all of their stuff.
Every art, every treasure, every medicine, every business and their cultivation caverns.
It wasn’t hard to see why when this proposal was made, two out of three of the invited leaders had rather ugly expressions on their faces.
“No offense to the rest of ya, but the Diggers Union was established for the people who didn’t want to align themselves with any of you because of your territorial war shit,” Orgo began to say, “now you want me to abandon and stomp on the promise I made to my people and join up with you?”
“Oh no no no, Grand Digger. I am not supplanting you as leader of your little union, I am just merely suggesting a restructuring of sorts. In exchange for…let’s say sixty-five percent of your profits, you’ll have the protection and guidance of yours truly.”
“Sixty-five?!,” Orgo shouted in disgust, aether circulating like mad. He knew he was outmatched, but it would be a cold day in hell if he agreed to such a proposition. But before he could rush in, Zhen Shi put up a hand to stop him, as well as signal his interjection.
“Harold…it’s no secret that your family and mine never really got along. Even if you are an Aether Lord now, what makes you think I’ll roll over and do as you say? What’s stopping me from saying no and fighting until the bitter end?,” Zhen Shi asked defiantly. Even if there was a power disparity, Zhen Shi still had his pride as a warrior and would rather die than lower his head…not again…
Harold Wolfe’s smile just grew bigger once heard Zhen Shi’s question. He knew that this fossil of a sea serpent wouldn’t blindly accept his offer, not with the bad blood between them. But he had a trump card to get him to see things his way.
“You are right old friend! There is nothing stopping you from rejecting my kind offer of protection and future prosperity…except for…one thing,” Harold answered in a darkly enigmatic tone.
The grand Elder snapped his fingers, calling forth a servant carrying a silver tray. Upon the circular piece of metal was a crystalline contraption that the others recognized as an aether projector.
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Aether projectors are a type of aether treasure that allowed the owner, and whoever was connected, to project whatever they were seeing and hearing to the projector in question.
The range of effectiveness and quality of information provided were directly proportional to the price tag on said projector, with the “basic” bronze model already having a value of several thousand gold.
In essence, a single aether projector of silver tier or above was worth enough money to either buy the materials to make a new kaijin, or be a new kaijin.
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“An aether projector? It’s a nice treasure to be sure, but it’s not worth submitting to the likes you.”
“No…but what about the lives of your clansmen?”
“…what?”
Harold’s smile turned slightly sinister as the servant set up the aether projector and the implications began to slowly dawn on Zhen Shi.
“Harold, what did you do?,” Zhen Shi asked as his gaze turned steely.
“You see, I knew full well that you of all people would never dream of working for me. Not with our history of butting heads and our families proclivity for violence” Harold began to monologue, “which is why I sent some of my more ‘diplomatic’ members to go and persuade your family to see things my way.”
“The projector is ready, Grand Elder,” the servant said as he bowed and exited the room, the atmosphere of which was tense enough that one could start smelling blood in the air.
“But my word is only worth so much, why not see for yourself?”
Using his aether to activate the projector, the crystalline contraption began to spin to life as an image began to form above it. Harold deemed it unnecessary to see the projection fully form, he would be satisfied seeing the look of despair on Zhen Shi’s face.
“Now then, old friend, I know your the type to put family above all else, an admirable trait to be sure, but it also makes it very very easy to get leverage on one such as yourself. All it takes is one little signal from yours truly and…what’s with that look on your face?”
Harold had expected Zhen Shi to have a look of despair and shock on his face at the sight of his clansmen being held hostage and at knife point. Instead, Zhen Shi had this look that was more shock and…”eh”. In fact, Orgo and even Telana both had looks on their faces that were the same as Zhen Shi’s look. Confused, Harold moved his eyes to the projected image and also went “eh”.
The reason for this strange look on their faces: they were expecting to see Harold’s forces holding the Zhen Clan hostage, they were not expecting to see Zhen Yue and Zhen Liu’s demonic puppet standing side by side across from Harold’s enforcers, Sieger and Gregory Wolfe, looking like they’re about to have a two on two duel, surrounded by the clearly mutilated corpses of the Wolfe family’s warriors.
Harold’s expression turned rather ugly once this had fully registered in his mind.
‘What…what happened?!’
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Literally about five minutes before Harold’s little show and tell.
Zhen Yue was just about to give in to Sieger’s demands. Even if there was a small, almost non-existent, chance of being able to save her clansmen from a final rest, the besmirchment of her honor was more than worth it.
However, she never had the chance to nobly sacrifice her honor for the sake of her family, thanks to some outside interference.
“GUH!”
“BLEH!”
“GAK!”
“What the-AGH!”
In the span of a couple minutes, all of Gregory’s and Sieger’s forces were now dead on the ground and the two of them just took a battering ram of lava to the face.
